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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — a skill
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. craft — boats
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. court — for sport
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com